College Students Struggling to Keep Up

LA PLUME – Snow storm after snow storm has caused many colleges and universities to cancel class. But those days don’t get made up before the end of the year like they do in elementary or high schools.

Some students say they’re struggling to keep up with the higher education, the higher education they’re paying a pretty penny for.

An economics class Tuesday was missing nearly half its students. Many were still snowed in, unable to get to Keystone College. But after three days of no classes because of snow, Dr. Dana Harris says her class has to move forward.

“We do, that means we move a little bit quicker in class sometimes,” said Dr. Harris, Chair of the School of Business and Technology.

Keystone is operating on a compressed schedule after this latest snowfall, trying to catch up on curriculum. Something that’s frustrating to senior Krystal Harris of Mount Pocono.

“Yeah, it is actually because if you think about it, you’re paying a lot of money and you miss all these classes and you don’t really get them back. Just kind of have to make up the work on your own,” said Harris

Some professors are posting videos online, trying to help students struggling without several days of instruction.

“But it’s still very difficult for them, I find that I’m trying to answer a lot more questions to try to move them through what they have tried to grasp online,” said Dr. Harris.

Many students at Keystone say they’re trying to make up those missed classes by hitting the books extra hard at the library, but even the library has snow day hours.

The library is packed now that campus is open. Many students are catching up on missed exams. Others, like Bo Bushnell of Springville, say they’re keeping up on class through email.

“It’s pretty easy. They keep us on track with emails and stuff with what we’re supposed to do,” said Bushnell.

For others, emailing assignments has just been confusing, like for senior baseball player Domenick Montanaro. He’s carrying 21 credits.

“And that’s created definitely a lot of confusion. Teachers emailing one thing and then ten minutes later emailing another thing, changing schedules, that’s been a little difficult,” said Montanaro.

Now professors are packing in extra tutoring hours, trying to help, hoping the heaps of snow stop getting in the way of higher education.